The Forensic Characterization of Bacterial and Fungal Organisms in Traditional Chinese Medicine

There has been an increase in use of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) in the United States because they are less expensive and believed to be more effective with less adverse effects in comparison to traditional pharmaceutics. Therefore, sales have increased in the US, despite articles and case studies demonstrating the dangers, such as injury and death, related to TCM, stemming from improper labelling, toxic contaminants, and, in some cases, the presence of pathogenic bacteria. The aim of this study was to perform a survival experiment to demonstrate the importance of proper herbal brewing technique and to conduct a molecular and biochemical survey of microorganisms present on eleven Chinese herbal samples. The survival study compared Chinese brewing preparation and American brewing preparation by fortifying the herbal mixture with known bacteria and assessing its survival after brewing. The American brewed herbal tea was calculated to contain upwards of 3000 CFU (colony forming units)/mL, where the Chinese brewed herbal tea contained roughly 50 CFU/mL. FAME (Fatty Acid Methyl Ester) analysis was performed on the herbs to characterize any microorganisms present on the plant material already, following purchase. Strains within the Bacillus genus were identified in nearly all eleven of the herbal samples. These included B. subtilis and B. megaterium. Organisms belonging to the Bacillus ACT group (anthracis, cereus, thuringiensis) were identified in five out of eleven herb cultures as evidenced by the large ratio of 15:0 iso to 15:0 anteiso fatty acid biomarkers. Nine out of eleven herbal specimens also exhibited fungal biomarkers such as polyunsaturated 20:4 ω6,9,12,15c, and 18:3 ω6c (6,9,12).https://scholarscompass.vcu.edu/uresposters/1291/thumbnail.jp

Herbal therapy for treating rheumatoid arthritis (review)

Background Herbal medicine interventions have been identified as having potential benefit in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Objectives To update an existing systematic (Cochrane) review of herbal therapies in RA. Search methods We searched electronic databases Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) (The Cochrane Library), MEDLINE, EMBASE, AMED, CINAHL, Web of Science, Dissertation Abstracts (1996 to 2009), unrestricted by language, and the WHO International Clinical Trials Registry Platform in October 2010. Selection criteria Randomised controlled trials of herbal interventions compared with placebo or active controls in RA. Data collection and analysis Two authors selected trials for inclusion, assessed risk of bias and extracted data. Main results Twelve new studies were added to the update, a total of 22 studies were included. Evidence from seven studies indicate potential benefits of gamma linolenic acid (GLA) from evening primrose oil, borage seed oil, or blackcurrent seed oil, in terms of reduced pain intensity (mean difference (MD) ‐32.83 points, 95% confidence interval (CI) ‐56.25 to ‐9.42,100 point pain scale); improved disability (MD ‐15.75% 95% CI ‐27.06 to ‐4.44%); and an increase in adverse events (GLA 20% versus placebo 3%), that was not statistically different (relative risk 4.24, 95% CI 0.78 to 22.99). Three studies compared Tripterygium wilfordii (thunder god vine) to placebo and one to sulfasalazine and indicated improvements in some outcomes, but data could not be pooled due to differing interventions, comparisons and outcomes. One study reported serious side effects with oral Tripterygium wilfordii Hook F. In the follow‐up studies, all side effects were mild to moderate and resolved after the intervention ceased. Two studies compared Phytodolor® N to placebo but poor reporting limited data extraction. The remaining studies each considered differing herbal interventions. Authors' conclusions Several herbal interventions are inadequately justified by single studies or non‐comparable studies in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis. There is moderate evidence that oils containing GLA (evening primrose, borage, or blackcurrant seed oil) afford some benefit in relieving symptoms for RA, while evidence for Phytodolor® N is less convincing.Tripterygium wilfordii products may reduce some RA symptoms, however, oral use may be associated with several side effects. Many trials of herbal therapies are hampered by research design flaws and inadequate reporting. Further investigation of each herbal therapy is warranted, particularly via well designed, fully powered, confirmatory clinical trials that use American College of Rheumatology improvement criteria to measure outcomes and report results according to CONSORT guidelines

ANALISIS KANDUNGAN ANTIOKSIDAN DAN KUALITAS SENSORI TEH KULIT BIJI KAKAO (Theobroma cacao) DENGAN PENAMBAHAN KAYU MANIS (Cinnamomum burmannii)

Processing cocoa beans into chocolate products has a by-product in the form of cocoa husk. Cocoa husk has the potential to be processed into herbal tea. Cocoa husk herbal tea has a bland taste and a astringent mouthfeel. The addition of cinnamon is done to improve the sensory of herbal tea. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of cinnamon addition on antioxidant content and sensory in cocoa bean skin tea. This study used a completely randomized design with one factor, namely the ratio of cocoa bean skin and cinnamon. The percentage of cinnamon addition in herbal tea is 0%, 5%, 10%, 15%, and 20%. The data were analyzed using analysis of variance and then continued with DMRT (Duncan Multiple Range Test) test at ɑ=5% level. Antioxidant testing was conducted with antioxidant activity test (DPPH), total phenol test (Folin Ciaocalteu), and total flavonoid test (AlCl3 colorimetry), and sensory testing was conducted with quantitative descriptive analysis (KDA) method. The sample with the largest cinnamon addition (20%) had the lowest antioxidant activity of 45.70%, but contained the highest total phenols of 16.98 mg GAE/g and the highest total flavonoids of 80.43 mg QE/g (ɑ=5%). The addition of cinnamon increased the intensity of brown color, aroma and spice flavor, and reduced sourness, bitterness and astringency

Technology implementation barriers in the Malaysian herbal industry: A case study

Technology is an essential component in all types of organisations and most organisations have reasons to implement new technology. The most fundamental justification for new technology implementation is that the technology must be able to contribute to strong competitive advantages and also increase or create long-term profit. In most small and medium enterprises (SMEs), there are barriers or obstacles in implementing these technologies. This article report a study aimed in investigating barriers faced by the Malaysian herbal industry in implementing technologies in their factory. Most of the local herbal manufacturing firms are categorised as SMEs which are usually considered to be lagged behind larger companies in technology usage. As this was an exploratory research, a case study method was used as it gave in-depth explanation of the main barriers of technology implementation. The results suggested that the main constraint in implementing technologies are lack of technical specialists and financial, aid commitment from top management, low wage rate, and future demand uncertainties

AKTIVITAS ANTIOKSIDAN DAN SIFAT FISIKOKIMIA MINUMAN SEDUH HERBAL DAUN KELOR DENGAN PENAMBAHAN DAUN ALPUKAT DAN LEMON

Moringa leaf herbal drink is a functional drink that is beneficial for the body. Moringa leaves, avocado leaves and lemons are ingredients that have active compounds that are good for the body, especially in warding off free radicals. An innovative Moringa leaf herbal drink was created with the addition of avocado and lemon leaves. The study aims to find out the effects of the addition of avocado and lemon leaves on herbaceous beverages in terms of the content of antioxidant activity and physical chemical properties such as total phenol, total flavonoids, pH, color intensity, total soluble density (TPT) and organoleptic tests. The test results were analyzed using Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) on SPSS applications with a significance of 5% when significant after the Duncan Multiple Range Test. (DMRT). The results of the study showed that the addition of avocado and lemon leaves to herbaceous soft drinks had no effect on antioxidant activity, total phenol, total flavonoids, pH, and organoleptic tests, and did not affect the total soluble density and color intensity

16S rRNA gene profiling and genome reconstruction reveal community metabolic interactions and prebiotic potential of medicinal herbs used in neurodegenerative disease and as nootropics.

The prebiotic potential of nervine herbal medicines has been scarcely studied. We therefore used anaerobic human fecal cultivation to investigate whether medicinal herbs commonly used as treatment in neurological health and disease in Ayurveda and other traditional systems of medicine modulate gut microbiota. Profiling of fecal cultures supplemented with either Kapikacchu, Gotu Kola, Bacopa/Brahmi, Shankhapushpi, Boswellia/Frankincense, Jatamansi, Bhringaraj, Guduchi, Ashwagandha or Shatavari by 16S rRNA sequencing revealed profound changes in diverse taxa. Principal coordinate analysis highlights that each herb drives the formation of unique microbial communities predicted to display unique metabolic potential. The relative abundance of approximately one-third of the 243 enumerated species was altered by all herbs. Additional species were impacted in an herb-specific manner. In this study, we combine genome reconstruction of sugar utilization and short chain fatty acid (SCFA) pathways encoded in the genomes of 216 profiled taxa with monosaccharide composition analysis of each medicinal herb by quantitative mass spectrometry to enhance the interpretation of resulting microbial communities and discern potential drivers of microbiota restructuring. Collectively, our results indicate that gut microbiota engage in both protein and glycan catabolism, providing amino acid and sugar substrates that are consumed by fermentative species. We identified taxa that are efficient amino acid fermenters and those capable of both amino acid and sugar fermentation. Herb-induced microbial communities are predicted to alter the relative abundance of taxa encoding SCFA (butyrate and propionate) pathways. Co-occurrence network analyses identified a large number of taxa pairs in medicinal herb cultures. Some of these pairs displayed related culture growth relationships in replicate cultures highlighting potential functional interactions among medicinal herb-induced taxa